| This paper examines the modern Chinese structure of "NP + time-quantity phrase (+le) " , such as "fu qi san nian (le) " , " che huoji tian le " , " hem zai son nian (le)" etc.. This kind of structure includes two basic types: I > NP + time-quantity phrase + le ? IK NP + time-quantity phrase. Type I has three component parts: (1) NP, (2) time-quantity phrase,(3) le. Type II has two component parts: (1)NP ; (2) time-quantity phrase. Comparing with type II, type I has one more part, that is "le" . The function of "le" is embodied in four aspects : (1) it makes typeII have only the predicate character; (2) the meaning that "time is long" is added subjectively to type I ; (3) it implies that the time point when the speech begins is also the basis point of time for the narration in type I . (4) it includes that the process is completed.Since the semantic types of NP allowed in these two types are different, the semantic relations of the structure and the sorts of tune connotation are also not the same.hi type I , according to semantic type , the NP can be classified into five kinds. They are the NP of relation, stage, event, time point and agent. All these five have the semantic features of special reference and inception . The time-quantity phrase has three different senses of time: state-lasting time, durative time and time-point-process time. It is human-based. Type I is a predicate structure reflecting a kind of process. Therefore, it can be used as predicate, a sentence, or a clause in a complex sentence. In various context, the quality and content of information it conveys are also different.In type II, there are seven kinds of NP. They are the NP of relation, stage, event, point, period, behavior, and pro-reference. All of them contain the semantic feature of period. The time-quantity phrase in this type express the period of time the NP itself refers to or less than it. The former structure can transform to thestructure of "time-quantity phrase + (de) + NP". Besides predicate or the former clause of a complex sentence , type II can act as every element of a sentence. However, in different syntactic position, the structure has different semantic sense.From the four aspects such as semantic meaning, syntactic function, tense and the basis point of time for narration, the author made the conclusion that if NP can exists in both the two types, the two can interpret each other.
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